A tale of woe and questions/help please.

[Paulq]

As a previous long term Toyota owner I moved away from the brand a few years ago when I got a Company car.  Since then I have owned a few vehicles and a month or so ago was looking for a nice SUV with the intention of considering a Rav4.  Cutting a long story short I just couldn't find a nice one with the spec I wanted so ended up with a Honda CRV.

Mistake. It has some issues I am far from happy with and its first trip to the dealers yesterday was wholly unsatisfactory and resulted in none of them being rectified.  It's going to a different dealers next week for them to have a go. I'm not big on patience with cars or dealers, at £22k I expect it to be pretty much faultless.  This isn't.

Anyway, I digress.  I just have a 'gut feel' that I may have bought a problem and, if so, there is only one solution I will consider and that's a Toyota so, if possible, I would really welcome some input and help on what to look for/make sure is right.  If I can start with some questions that would help:

1 - With the later model Ravs (I am looking at 14 plate onwards and diesel auto) are there any particular issues that I would need to make sure I avoid or make sure have been fixed?

2 - The auto box on these - are they CVT or Torque Converter?  What's the performance of them like and again, any issues?

3 - What are the service intervals please? Any particular requirements for gearbox oil changes/diff oil changes etc

4 - I like to change the oil on cars myself at interim stages between services.  How easy is the Rav to drop the oil and change the filter? (i.e. is there a cover underneath hiding the sump plug and is the filter the new element type or older canister type?).

5 - In terms of spec I would like invincible but understand that not all of them come with Nav is this right?  That may make one harder to find.

Generally speaking are the new Ravs as reliable as I have always remembered Toyotas to be and what's the general view of them?

Sorry for so many questions I just can't afford another mistake so I'd really appreciate any input.

 

[philip42h]

Some answers from my perspective ...

1. The 'known' issues with the d4d diesel engine were resolved around  2009/10. I'm not expecting any problems  with my 2.2 150bhp version ...
2. Mine has a standard torque converter box and I've no complaints with it at all. The 2.2 AWD auto was discontinued last year but to my mind that's the one to go for.
3. Service intervals are 10,000 miles or 12 months whichever comes first. 
4. I let Mr T service mine so can't comment.
5. Satnav is an option on Icon and Invincible so you will need  to check  carefully - don't assume.

[Paulq]

Thanks that's good to know.  At the moment it's a contingency in case my current situation turns out to be as horrible as I dread but you never know.

The car I'd be after is an AWD and I didn't realise they had stopped doing the auto - maybe that's why they appear to be in quite short supply.

[philip42h]

It's the 2.2 diesel engine that  they've discontinued ... in favour of the hybrid.

[FROSTYBALLS]

10 minutes ago, philip42h said:

It's the 2.2 diesel engine that  they've discontinued ... in favour of the hybrid.

This is in the range from December 2015 - the hybrid was available from February 2016.

[Paulq]

If I have to make a change then it will be the diesel AWD I'd be after though I have never driven a hybrid so really don't know how they perform.

[firemac]

I don't know about the RAV hybrid but I had and Auris hybrid a couple of years back as a courtesy car for a few days and I was impressed by it's performance and it's economy. I achieved something like 60MPG overall which comprised Mways, A-roads and a bit of town work. The motoring press enjoy slagging the Auris off but, in the real world, it's a cracking car and the hybrid is worth a test drive, at least. So if the RAV's drivetrain is anything like, and I suspect it's probably more advanced that the Auris's, then it could be interesting.

I also had a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV for a few days recently while the Shogun's alarm/DAB was being sorted and it is an absolutely brilliant piece of kit that I would seriously put at or near the top of the list when time comes to offload the Shogun. If the RAV hybrid is anything like the Outlander then it will be impressive.

[Heidfirst]

6 hours ago, Paulq said:

5 - In terms of spec I would like invincible but understand that not all of them come with Nav is this right?  That may make one harder to find.

If they use a Touch/Touch 2 head unit like Avensis, Auris etc. then it's a modular system so satnav can be easily added as a retrofit (it's another box & an aerial with connecting leads that plugs into the back of the head unit) - probably ~£800 depending whether you can find a s/h one, have to buy a new one & whether you get Go or Go Plus.

Tbh I would just buy a top of the range Garmin/Tomtom that will do a better job & be a lot cheaper to keep updated maps on in the future.

[Paulq]

2 minutes ago, Heidfirst said:

If they use a Touch/Touch 2 head unit like Avensis, Auris etc. then it's a modular system so satnav can be easily added as a retrofit (it's another box & an aerial with connecting leads that plugs into the back of the head unit) - probably ~£800 depending whether you can find a s/h one, have to buy a new one & whether you get Go or Go Plus.

Tbh I would just buy a top of the range Garmin/Tomtom that will do a better job & be a lot cheaper to keep updated maps on in the future.

Fair observation and I have never really rated built in Navs but the offputting thing is the mucking about with a 3rd party one.  

[Paulq]

Well, after another fruitless trip to the Honda dealer yesterday I finally ran out of patience and bought a RAV4 Invincible 2.2 D-CAT Auto.  It felt very familiar being back in a Toyota after so long and I was actually surprised at how well it drove; perhaps not quite as refined as the CRV but a much more punchy engine and the gearbox was better than expected. It's in grey and is pretty much immaculate outside.

I must admit to not being a fan of the RAV interior at all though - what were they thinking?  However, that's the only minor gripe and I am looking forward to being back in a (hopefully) very dependable and reliable vehicle.  It's had 1 owner from new and done 17k miles with a fully stamped Toyota history at the correct intervals so everything 'should' be fine and of course I still have until 2019 under warranty which was a big draw in itself.  Will probably take out a service plan to cover the next 3 as that spreads the cost.

Just one question - is it possible to set the car for the doors to lock automatically when you start driving or is that a dealer only job?

Can't wait to get it now!  

 

[Heidfirst]

enjoy your new car when you get it. 

If you intend keeping the car for a long time (past 2019) then it's worth considering that Toyota afaik still have a "2 years for the price of 1" on their Extended Warranty (which also includes Toyota Roadside Assistance).

On my Avensis setting the doors for autolock is done through the headunit/satnav  & is user settable, suspect that RAV would be the same but not 100% sure.

 

p.s Frosty will be after you to change your profile .

[Paulq]

Profile duly updated 

 

Thanks for the info I'll take a look when I get it as this may not be for a couple of weeks.  Another question that popped into my head is whether the Auto box is a CVT or standard Torque Converter and how many gears does it have?

Amazing the things you think about when you get a new car 

[philip42h]

That would be a six-speed torque converter box ...